Every Day Is Tag Day

It's a pet parent’s worst nightmare – when the gate to the yard is open, and the pet is nowhere to be found. It only takes an instant for a pet to go from being in a loving home to wandering the streets. 10 million pets a year are lost trying to find their way back home. 6-8 million of them end up in a shelter, and of those, only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats in shelters without some form of ID are ever reunited with their families. The American Humane Association (AHA) has designated the first Saturday in April as Every Day Is Tag Day, a day of awareness to educate pet parents on the importance of up-to-date tags.

While “regular” tags on a collar have been the main go to, microchipping continues to be in popular demand. A microchip is a small electronic capsule that has the pet parent’s contact information and other vital data embedded beneath the animal’s skin. Some rescue organizations offer it as a free service upon adoption. Many countries, except the U.S., require pets to be microchipped. While the chip itself is easy to find, it will not be of any help if the information isn't current. That's why it is so important to give animal providers the most up-to-date contact information (name, address and phone number) as possible.

An additional tip offered by the AHA include – even if your pet stays indoors, get them tagged and chipped. It's better to be safe than sorry, many dogs and cats in shelters across the country are lost indoor pets.

Take the time this Saturday (and every day) to spread the word of Every Day Is Tag Day, don't let more pets become a statistic.